This invention relates generally to a carrier form which is designed to permit a number of smaller documents to be processed simultaneously through micrographics equipment to produce a microfiche film of the documents.
Carrier assemblies for displaying and/or storing smaller documents such as microfiche film, are well known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,978; Canadian Patent No. 1,177,355; and French Patent No. 2,229,082.
Other carrier constructions are known wherein documents, such as photographs, are adhesively secured to a substrate and covered by a transparent cover film or sheet. Examples of such carrier constructions may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,077,830 3,857,192; 3,736,685; 3,581,423 and 3,283,434.
The present invention provides a unique carrier construction wherein a number of smaller documents to be microfilmed may be adhesively mounted on a substrate and protected by a transparent cover sheet or film. In the carrier construction in accordance with this invention, a protective, removable liner sheet is interposed between the adhesive substrate and the transparent cover sheet. This removable liner sheet is preferably pre-printed and thereafter may be used as a record sheet upon its removal from the substrate as described further herein.
Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a carrier construction is provided which includes a base sheet or substrate covered over the entirety of one side thereof with a low tack adhesive. A paper liner sheet is mounted over the adhesive side of the substrate, with a transverse slit provided near one end to permit the liner to be peeled from the substrate when ready for use. A transparent film or cover sheet is secured at this same end of the construction so that the transparent cover sheet can be rolled back away from the liner to permit removal of the latter. Documents to be microfilmed then can be mounted on the adhesive base sheet, and the transparent cover sheet returned to its original position overlying the documents thereon and pressed into adhesive engagement with the exposed areas of the base sheet.
In a preferred arrangement, the upper surface of the liner is provided with a known CB/CF coating to provide the liner with a carbonless image transfer system, also known as a "self-contained" system. Such carbonless transfer systems are well known, and reference is made in this regard to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,712,507; 3,016,308; and 4,199,174. The typical arrangement in carbonless transfer systems includes the use of three sheets with the top sheet having its back surface coated (CB) with an encapsulated solution of a colorless color-former in a suitable solvent; the bottom sheet having its front surface (CF) coated with a solid material containing record-developing material; and the intermediate sheet being coated front and back (CFB), respectively, with the solid record developing material and with the color precursor. The back coatings (CB) normally comprise pressure rupturable microcapsules containing a color precursor in fluid form capable of reacting with the developing material to form a colored compound in the front coating of the next adjacent sheet so that, upon impact by a machine key or application of pressure by a stylus on the top sheet, a colored mark corresponding to the key or stylus will appear on the front surface of the next adjacent sheet.
In this case, it will be appreciated that separate CF and CB layers, or a single layer of mixed CF and CB coatings can be applied to the top surface of the liner to achieve essentially the same effect.
This arrangement permits the assembly to be passed through an impact-type printer so that variable information relating to, e.g., the documents to be placed thereon, can be applied to the liner sheet through the transparent cover sheet before removal of the liner from the assembly. After removal, the liner sheet can then serve as a record copy of the documents microfilmed on the associated substrate.
In an alternative exemplary embodiment, a double-sided document carrier is provided wherein the other or second side of the base or substrate is also provided with low tack adhesive, self-contained liner and transparent cover sheet as on the first side.
It is another feature of the present invention that the document carrier can be produced in continuous form, in the manner of a continuous business form assembly, with marginal feed strips along opposite side edges, and longitudinally spaced transverse lines of perforations defining individual carrier assemblies.
Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the invention in its broader aspects relates to a document carrier assembly which comprises a web of paper having an upper and lower surface, at least the upper surface having a low tack adhesive layer applied thereon; a liner overlying the upper surface of the web and the low tack adhesive layer, the liner having a self-contained carbonless coating on an upper surface thereof; and a clear plastic film overlying the liner.
The invention as described herein provides an easy-to-use document carrier which has many applications including principally to facilitate simultaneous microfilming of a plurality of documents with an accurate record maintained thereof.
Other objects and advantages of the subject invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.